This was a fun one that captured my attention right away and held it until the end!

The Note follows three lifelong friends reconnecting in person on a vacation to the Hamptons. A seemingly harmless prank reveals a big tangled web of lies and secrets and the friends realize they don’t know each other quite as well as they thought…

I’m not gonna say that I particularly liked the characters in here, but I do think they were well written and fleshed out! They frustrated me at times, but that added to the mystery. There are lots of reveals and little twists as the story unravels to keep this interesting throughout the whole story. I did have a suspicion about how this would all wrap up but that didn’t make me find it any less exciting. Definitely a fun mystery!

Thank you to Netgalley, Alafair Burke, and Knopf publishing for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Content warnings (moderate): murder, gun violence, panic attacks, drowning, alcohol, suicide, xenophobia, incest

Three woman go on a little getaway which was supposed to be relaxing and fun. One of them leaves a note on someone’s car and it ends up a missing person’s case. Some secrets come to light and of course twists. I admit I did figure out the whodunnit but there were a couple twists/turns that I did not.

Overall it was a fun and entertaining thriller to read. Quick pacing. Tension. I found myself not being able to put it down.

Thank you @netgalley and @alafairburke for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars!!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my first book by Alafair Burke, and unfortunately, I wasn’t particularly impressed. While I’m sure she has other works I’d enjoy more, this one just didn’t resonate with me. The story centers on three lifelong friends reuniting for a weekend getaway in the Hamptons, each carrying a load of secrets and scandals. Despite this, they all hope to leave their troubles behind and enjoy their time together. However, things take a dark turn on their first night when a careless prank, fueled by too many cocktails, leads to a police investigation.

There were several aspects that prevented me from fully enjoying the book. I had difficulty distinguishing between 2 of the 3 main characters—May stood out, but I often confused Kelsey and Lauren. Additionally, the heavy focus on social issues overshadowed the development of the plot, leaving me feeling disconnected from the story. (The book touches on themes like the pandemic, race, gender, the influence of wealthy white men, and courtroom drama) At times it felt like these elements detracted from the narrative itself.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alafair Burke, and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ebook! If you're a fan of slow burns, this one is for you. The story gradually unfolds, revealing one piece at a time, until it all unravels in an explosive conclusion!

An innocent note left on a car, a missing body, and a secret from decades before are at the center of The Note. The newest suspense novel from Alafair Burke was one I didn't want to put down. I think it's better to say less about this book because the more you know, the more can be spoiled. I did find it predictable at times, but that didn't stop my enjoyment of it. I read some of her earlier work and I can really see where she's grown as a writer.

Thank you to Knopf and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

Rating: 3.5

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy. Unfortunately, this will be my last Alafair Burke novel. This was so predictable and the characters were so flat and unlikable that I really should have DNFed.

the book started off strong and i was really into it, but it felt predictable towards the end. i felt like some of the twists could’ve been built in better to make them more believable. despite its predictably, i still was invested and interested and would still recommend.

Kelsey, May, and Lauren were once close until each of them had a scandal that "canceled" them. They meet in the Hamptons for a girls' weekend and what was considered a harmless prank when they leave a note on a car that took their parking spot they had been waiting for turns into a nightmare. The characters are selfish "rich" girls and mostly unlikeable. While this wasn't my favorite read, I did want to keep reading to find out the whodunit.

I cannot even begin to describe how excited I was to learn that an incredible mystery writer chose my hometown as the setting for her book. Yay! I know she has spent time in The Hamptons (thank you, True Crime and Mystery Fest), so it's always refreshing when the author knows what they're talking about. It feels real!

This thriller had an interesting premise, but ultimately it didn’t pull me in, and I really had to babe myself sit down and read it.

I read and enjoyed one previous book by Alafair Burke and was excited to check this one out.

While some of it felt far-fetched, I really enjoyed what a wild ride it was and was really engaged the entire time -- I didn't want to put it down, I was so curious how it would wrap up. I loved all the pop-culture references, especially to the games that I also play daily, and it made for a fun bit of levity in a stressful thriller.

I enjoyed May's character and felt sympathetic for her. It was harder for me to connect to the other characters, but enjoyed the contrast between the three of them.

I didn't see some of the twists coming and enjoyed being kept on my toes.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

Huge thank you to @knopf and @netgalley for advanced audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.
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It’s crazy to me that the pandemic was almost five years ago already! Of course, it makes sense that so many books are set in a post pandemic world. This was an interesting take on how post pandemic affects us each individually. In this case May, become somewhat of a homebody, and a bit panicked when it comes to health safety, which leads to an incident that gets her canceled. Lauren and Kelsey also have found themselves “canceled” for different reasons but these three old friends take the group text out of the phone and to the Hamptons!
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A drunken night goes awry after a note from them is left on a car windshield and soon these three friends find themselves in the middle of a police investigation. This one had many twists and turns!
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Look for this one in January !

This was a fun read, I liked the characters and their dynamic. Just enough background is woven in to make the plot more full and interesting. And the twists were fun! A popcorn thriller for sure, and nothing super deep, but a nice entertaining read!

This was ok. A lot of the premise was silly and it took forever to get through the first half. Once I hit the second half, I got a little more interested even though I figured out who the culprit was.

This was an okay read. It was entirely too predictable and the parts that weren't surprised only because they beggared belief. I did appreciate the rotating perspectives of the three friends here - they added some depth and complexity to the story - despite the fact that I didn't find any of them very sympathetic. On the whole, not my favorite thriller read this year.


A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

What was meant to be a harmless - admittedly mean-spirited - joke played on a couple of rude strangers becomes something much more in this juicy thriller that highlights the complex friendships of three very different women. Unfortunately, it was difficult for me to really relate to most of the characters, but THE NOTE is still a smart, slow burn thriller that I enjoyed.

Truly, the look at female friendships and how they change over time was the best part of THE NOTE for me. I also enjoyed the courtroom drama, the Desperate Housewives-ish vibes and how Alafair Burke explores concepts from the pandemic to white privilege and cancel culture.

Sidenote: I love doing the NYT’s Spelling Bee every day, right before I play Wordle, and I didn’t know it was possible to get beyond the “genius” level to Queen Bee.

Thank you to publisher Knopf and NetGalley for an early digital ARC of THE NOTE in exchange for my honest feedback.

This was my first Alafair Burke book I’ve read. I honestly was underwhelmed. The writing style made it hard for me to follow all the characters. I wish it was organized into the multiple POVs or from one character.

For the first third of it I was unsure of where it was going to go. It was a slow burn type of book. The ending felt very rushed and didn’t do the story justice.

The friendships were very dynamic which I think is the shining point of the book. It was a real reflection on how dynamic friendships can be through all points of life and every persons walk in life can have its own struggles. With that said, all the characters were unlikeable.

The premise of the mystery was intriguing but the ending fell flat.

I really enjoyed this thriller. It started a bit slow for me but once I really got into this tale of 3 friends with their own secrets and scandals I found myself devouring it. A great suspenseful novel with just enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes.

Thank you for this ARC for my honest review. Three childhood girlfriends with somehow of a toxic friendship thru the years get together for a weekend in the Hamptons. What was suppose to be a carefree weekend turns out anything but. With a few unrealistic plot twists this comes to a predictable end.

This book was really hard to get into with the long chapters. The characters weren’t really likable either. I have loved Alafair’s work in the past, but this one was too hard for me to become invested in.